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South Carolina Criminal Justice Degree Programs(found 36 schools)

Overview

South Carolina is the home of roughly 4.7 million people. Although the violent crime rate has decreased from 2011 to 2012 by more than 6 percent according to the FBI Crime Statistics, the crime rate in South Carolina per 100,000 persons is the fifth highest in the nation behind Tennessee, Alaska, New Mexico and Nevada.

As stated by The State, South Carolina also suffers from a high poverty rate and low education rate. John Roman, a senior fellow in justice policy at the Urban Institute, said that a large part of the solution to high crime rates includes locating jobs in poor areas and helping residents gain needed skills.

"Over the last couple of decades, the criminal justice system has been focused on trying to fix people and it has become apparent that we're only going to get so far with that model," said Roman.

Criminal Justice Education in South Carolina

A degree in criminal justice presents a broad variety of career opportunities in South Carolina. There are 37 institutions in South Carolina which provide training and education to the students to succeed in criminal justice. These colleges and universities offer criminal justice programs at undergraduate and graduate levels.

CriminalJusticePrograms.com will help you learn more about earning your degree in criminal justice. To find out more information about programs in South Carolina, contact the schools at the bottom of the page.

If you are concerned about paying for school, you may want to visit this page to learn more about criminal justice scholarships. Financial aid in South Carolina isn't too difficult to find, especially if you're a good student. The South Carolina HOPE Scholarship, the LIFE Scholarship and the Palmetto Fellows Scholarship are all merit-based programs for those pursuing a criminal justice education, but there are some needs-based and federally-funded options as well.

Outlook for Criminal Justice in South Carolina

There are countless careers covered by the criminal justice umbrella. There are the well-known jobs like police officer, correctional officer or crime scene investigator, but there are almost fifty other careers from which you can choose. For example, paralegal, criminal defense lawyer, social worker, district attorney, environmental protection agent, and bailiff are just a few of the many possibilities.

The salaries of degree holders in criminal justice have a wide range due to the variety of career paths. Normal salary factors include location and experience. Like many other careers, entry-level positions within the field attract comparatively lower salaries that increase with time.

According to 2012 data collected by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a police officer in South Carolina has a mean annual income of $38,700, while detectives and criminal investigators earn $58,100. For those who choose to put their criminal justice degree to use in the paralegal field, the mean annual salary is $41,750. Another popular career, Corrections Officer, earns on average around $32,000.

If you are ready to take the leap into the world of collegians, get started with our long list of accredited schools below in South Carolina.